AGRICULTURE AND IRRIGATION

LIVE-STOCK.

Live-stock has an indispensable role to play in the rural economy of the district. Most of the agricultural activities in the district till today are carried by the draught animals. Its significance has not dwindled with the growing mechanisation of agriculture by the introduction of oil-engines and electric pumps for irrigating the land, tractors and other ploughing machines, winnowing fans and other harvesting machinery.

In 1906 1907, the district possessed 160,000 bulls and bullocks. The agricultural cattle then increased in every tahsil. The increase varied from 9 per cent in Darwha to 45 per cent in Kelapur. The names of cattle breeds prevalent in those days included ghatode or ghatache, gangthadi, gawalane, warhadcha and khandeshi. The ghat and ganga bullocks were bred in the hilly area near Mahur prirgana. These bullocks were strong, big and heavy animals useful in ploughing. The warhadcha or true Berari bullocks were smaller but sometimes faster. Khandeshi bullocks were brought from Akola tahsil. They were said to be big but not strong, and to be liable to disease of the hoofs. Cultivators were also to some extent fond of the colour of the bullocks, especially bullocks bought for fast road work. Thus, red bullocks were popular in Pusad, while in Digras white breed was liked better, and in Wun lakhabondha or red bullocks with white faces were preferred. Berar bullocks were said as a rule to be better than those found outside the province. A variety of cattle were available at the large fair at Wun in March, The value of a bullock then varied from Rs. 25 to Rs. 100. The class ordinarily used for field work cost from seventy to hundred rupees a pair.

Bullocks were castrated, thesne, at any time after two teeth of the second set had come, that is to say, at about three or four years of age. Bullocks were generally first harnessed to a plough in their fourth year and used to do full work in their sixth. It was thought necessary to have one pair of bullock for five tifans, that is, for eighteen or twenty acres.

About the cows and buffaloes the old Gazetteer has to say as follows[Central Provinces District Gazetteers, Yeotmal District, Vol, A, 1908, pp. 114—16.]: —

"As a rule cows are kept for breeding only, and all their milk goes to their calves; but cow's milk is thought good for children and invalids and is sometimes drunk by well-to-do people or made up into ghi. Generally people of the higher castes drink buffalo's milk, and people of low castes goat's milk. A good cow costs from Rs. 20 to 30. Both the price of a cow and the cost of feeding it have risen a great deal in the last fifteen years. The District was reported in 1906-1907 to contain 242,000 cows.

"She-buffaloes are kept for their milk. Male buffaloes are occasionally used for ploughing but are generally thought useless except for breeding. They are commonly allowed to die from neglect. The returns show 108,000 she buffaloes, but only 6,000 male buffaloes in the District. A cow-buffalo gives from one seer to as much as nine seers a day. Two and a half or three seers arc ordinarily given. The price of a cow-buffalo varies greatly but is often from Rs. 60 to 80. Some wandering castes have great numbers of buffaloes. As far as the records are reliable, it seems that during the settlement period the number of cows and cow-buffaloes increased by about 50 per cent in Kelapur and Darwha talukas, decreased by 23 per cent in Yeotmal taluka, and was almost stationary in Wun and Pusad. "

The horses about 100 years ago numbered 6,500. Most of them were employed on the mail and tonga services between Dhamangaon, Yeotmal and Darwha. They were mainly used for travel during rainy season when the roads were mostly impassable for carts. Sometimes a few Rohillas used to ride on their money-lending rounds. In each of the towns there were one or two Kathiawar ponies worth about Rs. 200. Ordinary ponies varied in value from Rs. 20 to 75. A government stallion was kept in the district from 1885 to 1891 in the hope of improving the breed, but people made so little use of it that it was later on removed.

The goats and sheep about the same time were 116,000 and 45,000, respectively. Goats were kept by all castes, though their milk was only drunk by the middle and lower castes. Muhammedans and many Hindus ate their flesh. Country blankets were made of sheep's wool.

The present agricultural activities also to a very large extent depend upon the plough bullocks. Nowadays the district is the home tract of the gaolao breed which is preferred by the farmers in Vidarbha. Below given is the summary of live-stock census in the district for the last two cattle censuses taken in 1956 and 1961.

TABLE No. 21.

LIVE-STOCK STATISTICS* IN YEOTMAL DISTRICT

* District Statistical Abstract of Yeotmal District, 1964-65, Bureau of Economics and Statistics, Government of Maharashtra.

TABLE No. 21— contd.

LIVE-STOCK STATISTICS IN YEOTMAL DISTRICT—contd.

With a view to improve the quality of the live-stock various schemes at district and State levels are being implemented through the Zilla Parishad and the Animal Husbandry Department. Such schemes include, cattle breeding farm, premium bull scheme, artificial insemination, poultry development scheme, fodder development scheme, etc. In addition, there are about 15 full fledged veterinary dispensaries and 47 veterinary aid centres in the district. The work mainly carried out at these centres is treating the sick animals, castrating the scrub bull and preventive vaccination against the contagious diseases.

The work turned out by the veterinary staff during the years 196263 to 1965-66 is as under—

There is one cattle breeding farm at Yeotmal where Gaolao breed of animals is kept. This variety of animal is said to be famous for light work.

Cattle Breeding Farm, Yeotmal. Key Village Scheme.

A key village scheme is introduced at Digras. Under this Key Village centre 6 key village units are established. It aims at the overall Scheme. improvement of all classes of animals. The scheme envisages treatment of animals, castration of scrub bulls, preventive vaccinations, improvement of fodder and development of marketing facilities. A technique of artificial insemination is also made use of. This work in the district is being carried out by 6 artificial insemination sub-centres.

Poultry development.

As poultry gives quick returns it immediately catches attention of the interested poultry keepers to expand the poultry industry. Especially it serves as subsidiary occupation to the cultivators. A chick rearing centre was started in the district in 1961. This centre has now been upgraded into a district poultry breeding centre. Recently an intensive poultry development block has been established at Yeotmal. Under the crash programme, loans worth Rs. 42,000 have been advanced to the farmers. Similarly, loans in kind amounting to Rs. 13,000 have been advanced to the cultivators under the intensive poultry development block scheme. The poultry development work carried out in the district is detailed below: —

Besides, Government have sanctioned loans to four persons each Loan amounting to Rs. 5,000. A co-operative farm with an annual budget of Rs. 2,50,000 has also been sanctioned for Umar-khed block. To provide better marketing facilities to the poultry products an egg collection and marketing scheme has been introduced. The scheme is very popular amongst the cultivators as it provides fair marginal profits to them for the poultry products.

The biggest cattle fair is held at Wani every year from the middle of February to middle of March. Gaolao animals from the surrounding areas are brought for sale. The bullocks of this breed fetch the price varying from Rs. 350 to Rs. 450, and the breeding bulls from Rs. 800 to Rs. 1,000.

Dairy Development,

Buffaloes are the main source of milk in the district. However, there is no special breed of buffaloes in the district. The cows are also of a non-descript variety except in some parts of Darwha tahsil where Haryana cows are being replaced. The local, buffalo belongs to the typical Nagpuri breed characterised by its long tapering horn. The live-stock statistics of cows in milk and buffaloes in milk in the district for the years 1956 and 1961 is as follows. It is estimated that this district possesses 18 cows and 4 buffaloes per square kilometre.

In most of the parts of the district mi|lch cows are not maintained from a commerciat viewpoint. Whatever cow milk is available is mostly.utilised for home consumption and for bringing up their calves. The average daily milk yield of the cow hardly exceeds 1½ to 2 litres, while the average milk yield of a buffalo ranges from 3 to 4 litres per day.

The prospects of a potential supply of milk in the district are noteworthy. Whatever milk is produced in the interior area is converted into milk products as there are no marketing facilities. There are a few dairy societies but for want of good management there still remains a considerable scope to develop the dairy industry in the district. At present, the activities of collecting and selling of milk are mostly centralised around the towns such as Yeotmal, Darwha, Pusad, Wani and Pandhar-kawada. The demand for milk particularly in Yeotmal town is gradually on the increase. Milk is transported to this town from Kalamb, Dhamangaon, Akola Bazar, Arvi, Darwha and Ner. Milk is mostly consumed in hotels, lodging and boarding houses and sweetmeat shops. It is roughly estimated that about 2,000 litres of milk is brought to Yeotmal daily, of which 1,000 litres is consumed by the residents of the town. Milk of a buffalo is sold at Rs. 1.50 per litre. Butter and ghee are sold at Rs. 15 to 17 and Rs. 20 to 25 per kg., respectively.

There is thus a good scope for developing the dairy industry in the district, particularly around the prominent towns where milk consumption is on the increase. The development of the dairy industry would not only meet the demand for milk around towns but will also provide a subsidiary occupation and a source of income to the farmers.

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